Railway-crossing signal.



G.l P. A. W'BISGNBGRN.- RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED PEB-,11, 1908. y

Patented June 22, 1999.'

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GORGE P. A. WEISENBR, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIG-NAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909.'

Application led February 11, 1908. Serial N o. 415,319.

To all 'whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. A. lVEIsnivBoRN, citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and .State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Railway-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to new and'useful improvements iiifsignals and more particularly to railway crossing signals.

The object ofthe inventionis to provide a train operated device' arranged to set into o eration, a visible signal, an alarm and a w iistle.`

Another feature resides inthe construction whereby the parts are arrangedl against novel arrangement and construction of the artsand in thesimpl'e manner of their commation.

Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which will be strong, durable and eflicient, and simple and comparatively inexpensive -to construct, and one in which the several parts -will not be liable to get out of working order.

lith the above and other objects in view,

the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction and operation, an example el which is desciibed in the specii cation and illustrated in the accompanying p drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing. a portion of the tracl and the operating levers in elevation and the sign tower in vertical section, Fig. 2 is a detailed vertical section of the head casing, the iiag arms and the bell ybeing broken away, and the whistle shown in section, Fig.

a head or casing 2 which may be formed iny any suitable way, and provided with a hinged cover 3.

/Vitliin the head and nearer. its upper end, a sprocket 4 is loosely mounted on a trans-V verse shaft 5. sprocket chain 6 Vhaving lone end attached to a coiled spring 7 secured at itslower end to tively. tion, the spoolsare revolved in the same d1- This sprocket receives a..

one side ofthe'head. A suitable clapper devicev 15 is mounted on the shaftand connected to the sprocket to be revolved 1thereby and strike a bell 7c, also secured to 'the shaft in junta-position. f n i Slots 8 formed in' the heady on opposite sides, receive flag-arms 9 suitably pivoted to the head and projecting some distance there-V from. The arms which may be formed of any suitable material', shape, color or design, have their inner ends projecting into the head and terminating in a pivotal connection 10 with the opposite lengths of the chain. A. suitable plunger whistle 11 is also secured within the head and-proviced with an angular connection 12 attached to the chain to be n operated thereby. manual operation *from the track and in the It is obvious that when the free end of the chain is pulled down, it will pass over the sprocket 4 extending the spring 7 and when pressure on the chain is relieved, the spring will retract and draw the chain back to its normal position. As the chaiiipasses over the sprocket, the saine is revolved thus operating the'clapper device 15 and ringing the bell, at the saine time swinging the flag arms,

up and down in alternate relation, and operIk ating the whistle. e

It is obvious that other devices and mechanisms could be operated by this up and down movement oi the chain and it desired an electric signal light maybe incorporated and suitably operated. y

For imparting motion to the chain, aijlexr ble connection. 14 is secured lto its free/end and coiled, at its opposite, end about a drum .16 loosely mounted onl a transverse shaft 17 supported in a housing A18 formed` at the lower portion of the tower. On each side of this drum, s ools 19 and 20 are loosely mounted on t e shaft 17. vThe drum is'provided with diametrically opposite lugs 21 as shown in Fig. 3. The spools are provided with lugs 22 adapted to engage the adjacent lugs 21. i one spool may be revolved and revolve the drum without revolving the other spool. Flexible connections 23 and 24 having their ends coiled about the spools run oil the bottom and top of the spools 19 and 2O respec- Thus by pulling upon the connecrection, and either connection pulled upon, will unwind from its respective spool, revolving the same and revolving the drum to wind its connection 14 to pull down the chain,

From this it will be apparent thatv CJi while the other spool by reason of the logs remain stationary. These flexible connec tions 23 and 24 inay be of any suitable length and extend inopposite directions-frein the tower along the side of the track, o attached at their free ends at the pro tance, to upright arins 25 forming pi ts oi depressor devices. These arms are mounted on the ends oi rock shafts 26 running trans versely beneath the rails 27 and each passing through .a tubular casing 28 as shown in Fig 4l. The casing is suitably fixed in position and covers a spring 29 coiled about the roel;- shaft, having one end secured to the casing and the other to the shaft. The spring is placed under tension so as to have a tendency to rock the shaft and the arin 25 toward the tower in each case. i

To the opposite end of each rock-shat`t, a depressor lever 30 is fastened so as to stand close tothe outer side of the rail. This lever is sha ed to have a portion normallyT projecting Va ove the railand provided at its lower free end with a stop lip 31 normally engaging the side ofthe rail. The springs 29 are spalli-` ciently stout to prevent a manual depression oi the levers 30, so that a person stepping 4npon the saine cannot operate'the signals.

However, as each wheel of the train passes lover either of the levers and intermittently depresses the saine, its shaft will be rocked and the arni 25 swung away 'from the tower pulling the 'llexible connection, which vwinds the drinn 16 and operates the chain and the signals. lifter a wheel passes oil the lever, the springs 29 and 7 return lthe parte to their normal positirni causing a second or return operation olf th signals.

lt is appare t that a train inoving at a fair rate of speed will cause its wheels to depress the levers 30 in rapid succession, thus eil'ecting a substantially incessant operation ofthe signals.

What I claini, is: Y

1. ln a railway crossing signal, the conibination with a tower, flag arms mounted on the tower, an alarm mounted in the tower, a whistle supported by the tower, a flexible connection operating in the tower, said conlneetion having connection with the flag y erating means,

3. lna .railway crossing signal, the'comhination with a tower and signal devices car-` ried thereby, of a rotatable device niounted in the tower and having connection with the' signal devices for operating the saine, rotatable devices each adapted to operate the first named rotatable device independently of the other, and wheel depressed'track devices having flexible connection with the last named rotatable devices for operating same.

Li. ln a railway crossing signal, the combination with a tower and signal devices car'- 'ried thereby, of signal operating means, a

drain inounted in the tower,'and having connec-tion with the signal' operating means, spools mounted on each side oi the drum having connection there vith arranged to permit the drinn to revolve independently of either of theni, and train operated track devices having llexible connection with the spools for revolving the saine.

ln a railway crossing signal, the conibinatioi'i with a tower, of signal devices carried by the tower, means arranged in the tower for operating the signal devices, connections in the tower between the operating ineans and the signal devices, and wheel depressed operating means comprising a spring held rocliable part having operative connection 'with the operating means in the tower. ln testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

'GEORGE P, A. WEISENB RN. TWitnesses:

O. S. CUMMINos, WM.v A. CATHEY. 

